“Everyday after work I pick an intersection and stand on it and try to get the message of peace out,” Cerritos College graduate, Hueteo Lopez says.

Last week, thousands of students assembled all over California to protest the war on Iraq.

On the corner of Studebaker and Alondra, Cerritos had its own small rally.

Lopez begins his reason for protesting by clarifying what he believes to be essential to understanding his cause.

“There is a major misconception about this war. As a nation, we are still licking our wounds from 9/11. While we’re healing, the George Bush administration is telling us that Iraq had something to do with that. But major intelligence agencies have proved that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.”

But an unrelated fight is not Lopez’s only reason for opting for peace.

“A war is very costly,” he says. “One tenth of the money we spend on war could cure world hunger.”

Lopez is not alone is his beliefs.

Isabel Ramirez, photography and film major, feels that there are “other wars” to be fought before waging one on Iraq.

“We’re fighting a war of homelessness and living in bad conditions.”

When these things are so close to home, Ramirez doesn’t understand why the military is traveling across the globe to fight.

“We’re fighting a war right here,” she says.

Ramirez, who attended peace rallies in mid February, also feels that the war on Iraq is a violation of human rights.

“I don’t believe in (the war) because I think everyone in the human race is entitled to a life. I think it is unjust when people have to struggle.”

In addition to being unjust, both feel it is the wrong solution.

Lopez says, “Bush is saying that we can find a positive solution by using violence; I don’t think that is true. If we don’t want to see another 9/11, we need to look at what we’re doing.”

He feels that focusing on Iraq is the government’s attempt to divert the nations attention away from the problems that surfaced on 9/11. The “lets get ’em” mentality gives a sense of justice to what he feels is mere revenge.

Lopez also feels that the Bush’s cabinet may have ulterior motives for promoting any war in Iraq.

“Rice was a Chevron executive; Cheney invests in a company that manufactures military weapons; the whole Bush family has money tied up in oil.”

Lopez explains that for these profits to be maintained, the administration must keep some control over the area.

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” he says, “But our constitution does not say that our president can use our military and send our young women and men to protect his interests.”

Ramirez remembers an article that ran a few weeks ago in the Talon Marks.

“That story about John… he said he was not sure but it felt right. It wasn’t right.”

People shouldn’t have to be heroes like that, she explained.

“Dying for a cause is misery made beautiful right before my eyes,” Ramirez said.

Lopez concludes, “War is costly in human lives and money. Violence will not solve violence.”

“We don’t just want peace for peace,” he says, “It’s peace that’s rooted in history and facts.”